A World Turned Upside Down
by Joke Master Mandy
Summary: What if everything that happened in Blood Omen 2 was just a falsehood created to protect a Nosgothian government secret? And what really happened is this...
1. Waking up to Hell

Disclaimer: I don't own Legacy of Kain, blah blah blah.

Note from the authoress: Okie dokie, this is the first episode of what is to be my friggin awesome action packed epic trilogy! It starts at the beginning of Blood Omen 2, but will carry its way all the way to Defiance. It's The Legacy of Kain like you've never seen it before with an awesome revised storyline, non stopped heart racing action scenes, strong Japanese anime overtones, and kick ass new characters (me being one of them.) So enough of my babbling, enjoy the story!

**WANT MORE MANDY? VISIT THIS SITE FOR A SNEAK PEEK AT ARTWORK FROM A WORLD TURNED UPSIDE-DOWN BEFORE MY WEBSITE'S UP AND RUNNING! Go toWWWdotFANART-CENTRALdotNET/USER-JOKEunderscoreMASTERunderscoreMANDY16dotPHP.(sorry I had to write it out like that but the site wouldn't let me direct link it) ANYWHO, ENJOY, AND FEEL FREE TO COMMENT! **

Joke Master Mandy presents:

**A World Turned Upside-Down Part I: Law and Disorder**

_Four hundred years after the nobleman Kain was cursed to walk the night as a vampire_

_And centuries before Kain would wage war alongside his lieutenant Raziel_

_His path of conquest was stopped by a new enemy_

_The pillars of Nosgoth lie in ruin_

_Vampires roam the land once again_

_And a new legacy begins_

**Episode 1: Waking up to Hell**

**-Kain-**

I stood in front of my army, gazing into the sea of Sarafan warriors that spanned across the rocky battlefield. Any moron could see that they were greatly outnumbered, but they were only humans after all, right? Well, we couldn't stand here forever.

"ATTACK!", screamed Kain.

With that, both armies charged at each other with full force. My soldiers dealt with the lowly Sarafan warriors, but I didn't waste my energy on them, I knew who I was after. I cut through any Sarafan warriors that stood in my way, until I saw him. There he was, standing there staring at me through glowing green eyes. I made the first strike. I struck clear for his throat in an attempt to cut his head off, but he parried it, sending me flying into the Sarafan hordes below. I wasn't about to let him win. I jumped at him, in an attempt to take him down, but he struck first and sent me flying once again. No. No way. He's not going to win this time. This next hit, this next hit is going to take him out, I swear. I leaped for him again and finally, I got one good shot in. Unfortunately, I failed to notice he was standing behind a very large cliff. The Sarafan Lord seized me by the throat. No! No! This isn't the end! This can't be the end! All I need is one good-

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!", screamed Kain as he fell from the enormous cliff.

The next thing I new I was in a bed. A dream? It was all just a dream? It felt so real. And so, from the shards of tattered dreams I rose, unwilling. Tossed upon tides of pain that ebbed and left me searingly awake, and more revoltingly, alive. It was then I saw her for the first time.

"Good evening, we did not expect you to awaken so soon, already you surprise us.",said the tall female vampire.

She was quite a catch. She was slim and stood about 6 feet tall, with long purpleish black hair and a tattooed face. But this was no time to be looking at girls. My mind was in fragments like shattered glass, I didn't even know where I was, or what I was doing here.

"Where am I?"

"Ahh, they said your memory would be affected by your long slumber. That will pass, in time. My name is Umah, and I'm here to help you. Know that you're name is Kain, and you were once a great power in the land."

"I know my name, but what about my past?"

"That you woke at all is a miracle. When we found you, there was but the barest thread of life left in you, we nurtured it, fed it, and now you rise and walk again."

"And what is this place?"

"You are in the city of Meridian, capital of the land of Nosgoth, the land you sought to conquer and rule. So, tell me, since you remember your name do you also remember your nature?"

Of course, how could I forget? I flashed her my fangs, and I think she got the message.

"Then let me show you the future. You have been asleep for 200 years. In that time, this is what has become of Nosgoth."

I looked over the balcony and saw what she meant. Poverty and filth infested the streets, buildings were dilapidated, not to mention any scrap of plant life had disappeared.

"What in the hell! Who did this? Who currently rules Nosgoth? Tell me, now!"

"The Sarafan. An army of fanatical humans sworn to eradicate all vampires from the world. A new leader brought them together. He wielded a new kind of magic that was deadly to our kind, and destroyed your army and killed most vampires. You were defeated in combat by this new leader, The Sarafan Lord. For two hundred years the Sarafan have enslaved the humans under their iron rule and killed every vampire they could find."

"They obviously haven't succeeded, however."

"Not yet. We need your help Kain, you're our last hope. With your assistance, I'm sure we can destroy the Sarafan and restore order the world."

"We? Who's we?"

"The Cabal, the vampire resistance. We're sworn to undermine the Sarafan at all costs. Unfortunately, we're losing."

"And so I'm to be the prince on a white horse come to save you all out of the kindness of my heart? What's my reward, your eternal gratitude?"

"Have you really changed all that much? The Sarafan Lord defeated you and you're just going to let him walk as a free man? Doesn't it bother you that the man who defeated you is still breathing, or does the lust for vengeance and power no longer stir you? Are you that dead!"

"I remember playing the pawn once before, it didn't end well."

"This time you will prevail. We are your allies, not your betrayers. What we want from you is open and plain, no hidden paths."

"I suppose you're asking me to trust you?"

"We must trust one another. Together we can defeat the Sarafan Lord, and when he is dead the rest will surely crumble. But, keep in mind there are many dangers that must be overcome."

"Dangers! I care not for any dangers! They will fear me, do you hear! Just tell me where he is and he'll be dead within the hour!"

"Such arrogance. If it were that easy we would have done it ourselves, Kain. He is well protected, mostly by other vampires."

"Vampires in service to the Sarafan, are they mad?"

"They value their lives, while they are working for the Sarafan, The Sarafan Lord lets them live."

"I will enjoy destroying them."

Suddenly a great pain took over me, causing me to double over. I was quite familiar with this pain.

"You have the thirst upon you, come vampire it is time for you to feed."

"Yes."

And so I left the old dilapidated building which had housed my sleeping body for the last two hundred years. I'm not quite sure why I trusted that woman, I suppose I had no choice, being in the strange new world I had awoken to.

"Kain"

"Woah!"

"Don't be afraid, Kain. I'm only whispering, we vampires can keep in contact this way, even over great distances."

"Ah yes, now I remember. So, where are we?"

"The Slums. 'God's blind spot', as they are so appropriately nicknamed. This is the oldest and most decrepit part of Nosgoth, where few people dare to come. A perfect place to train you, don't you agree."

"Train me? You take me for a dog?"

"You're body has laid dormant for two hundred years Kain. Whatever skills you once had must be recovered before you can be any use to the Cabal. You must learn to kill and to survive."

Like I needed any training in how to kill. And so, for the next few hours she taught me the basics. Floating, jumping, attacking, defending, and so forth. The city was a labyrinth with obstacles at every turn.

"Kain, are you hungy?"

"Yes."

"I have a prisoner waiting for you down below. A thug, from a local gang of criminals, he thought to murder yet another helpless victim, but he met me instead."

God, this woman talks a lot.

"Spare me the moral anecdote, and direct me to his throat."

"Drink then, I'll be waiting below."

And I drank. It was heaven. The blood was crisp, cool, and very refreshing. I felt like a new man. But as I was drinking, something caught my eye. There was a flyer on the wall, it was about tenth one I saw of its kind so far. They were posted all over the city and all were depicting the same thing: A redheaded woman with a wide fanged smile on her face from cheek to cheek. It read 'wanted, dead or alive, reward: $150,000.' Wow, what the hell did she do?

"Mandy."

"Huh?"

"That's Mandy.", she said, gesturing towards the wanted poster.

"She has a price on her head enough to make a man rich, why?"

"She's a nuisance to the Sarafan. In fact, she's a nuisance to everyone. She wanders all over Nosgoth, robbing and killing Sarafan guards and whoever else vexes her. The Sarafan are constantly fortifying their defenses, never letting their guard down because of her. They never know where she'll appear next."

"Why haven't you employed her help on your crusade?"

"None of us have ever actually seen her. All we know are the rumors. They say she can bring down the strongest of warriors, with only a short sword. And that the ridiculously large amount of reward money for finding her is only a small fraction of everything she's stolen in her life. You needn't worry about her, she's very reclusive."

"I suppose not."

Brings down the strongest of warriors with only a short sword. Sounds more mythical than real if you ask me.

"OUCH! What the hell!"

My thoughts were cut short when I bumped right into a strange glowing green force field of some sort.

"What manner of sorcery is this?"

"It's a ward gate, a force field run by glyph magic."

"Glyph magic?"

"It's a new type of sorcery that the Sarafan use. It supplies power to all of Nosgoth."

"And I assume is deadly to vampires?"

"Yes."

"Splendid."

"Damn, this means we'll have to take another route to get to sanctuary."

"Sanctuary?"

"The heart of the Cabal. It is time that you meet our leader."

"Vampire!", a voice cried out of nowhere.

Two Sarafan guards, armed with swords came rushing down the alley.

"Damn! We've been spotted! Listen Kain, you need to get to the lower city. Go west to the Smugglers Den. There you will find the Smugglers Tunnel. It will take you there."

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine, just go!"

I Ran as fast as I could away from there. God! What have I become! The great Kain running like a coward from enemies. Maybe it would have been better if I just didn't even wake up at all. But, nonetheless, I needed to get my revenge against the Sarafan Lord. I went west until I finally exited the slums into what I assume was the smugglers den. This stealthy, cautious, hit-and-run new fighting style would take some getting used to, but if that's the way the battle is to be fought, I know I can take more of it than anyone.

**Preview of next episode:**

Kain is eager to catch up with Umah and meet the leader of the Cabal. He searches for the Smugglers Tunnel, but his path is stopped by a red haired woman wielding a short sword. Wait a minute! Red hair, short sword. Could this be the fabled wandering thief and killer? Could this be Mandy? Find out in

**Episode 2: Enter: Mandy**


	2. Enter: Mandy

******WANT MORE MANDY? VISIT THIS SITE FOR A SNEAK PEEK AT ARTWORK FROM A WORLD TURNED UPSIDE-DOWN BEFORE MY WEBSITE'S UP AND RUNNING! Go toWWWdotFANART-CENTRALdotNET/USER-JOKEunderscoreMASTERunderscoreMANDY16dotPHP.(sorry I had to write it out like that but the site wouldn't let me direct link it) ANYWHO, ****ENJOY, AND FEEL FREE TO COMMENT!**

**Episode 2: Enter: Mandy**

**-Kain-**

So, this is the Smugglers Den. Doesn't seem all that different from the slums if you ask me. Wow, I'm asleep for 200 years and look what happens. The sooner I can restore order to this crazy world, the better.

"Well, what do we have here?", said a husky voice from behind me

I turned around to see a large heavily tattooed man wielding a club. He obviously wants my money. Robbing a vampire, not the brightest crayon in the box now, are we?

"Hand over your cash now, and I might just let you live.", said the thief as he lifted his club

Idiot. Before he could even bring down his club to strike me I stuck my hand through his chest, quick as lightning, and ripped out his heart. I held it right in front of his tattooed face.

"You were saying?"

The thief's eyes nearly popped out of his head in shock before he dropped dead. Well, now that that's over with I can continue my search.

"Greetings, Kain.", whispered Umah from wherever she was

"Umah! Did you manage to elude the guards?"

"They were only human. Welcome to one of the glories of our fair city, The Smugglers Den. As horrible as you found the slums, you will find this place even more offensive. Rogues and thieves rule the streets, and of course the Sarafan have their own dealings here as well. You may expect little help from the inhabitants and more trouble."

"I do not require their hospitality. You spoke of a Smugglers Tunnel I must find?"

"Yes, it's hidden somewhere in the district. Unfortunately, I don't know where."

"Stupid girl."

"What?"

"Oh, nothing."

"You must find the Smugglers Tunnel as quickly as possible. The Cabal is depending on you."

"Yes, of course."

"Be on your way then. We'll speak again later."

Damn, how the hell am I going to find this thing. Hmm, where should I start? There doesn't seem to be much of anything to the east, so I guess I'll start by going west. Umah was right, thieves and brigands occupied every corner of the area. As I walked down the western path I received nothing but dirty, threatening stares from ugly tattooed faces. Little did they know, their future Lord walked among them.

"Konnichi wa!"

"AHH!"

I nearly had a heart attack as a woman suddenly hung upside down from a beam right in front of my face. She was grinning at me with a wide fanged smile and gazing at me through blue eyes. She had long, red hair and was wearing strange, loose fitting blue clothes with socks and flat wooden sandals. She was about five feet tall. She then flipped right side up and jumped off the beam to right in front of where I was standing.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Watashi wa Mandy! Samurai kyuuketsuki no Nosgoth, she said while holding a short sword high in the air.

I have no idea what she just said but I definitely heard the name Mandy in there somewhere.

"Who did you say you were again?"

"I'm Mandy. Nosgoth's Samurai vampire."

"So you're-"

"Yes, I'm the woman on the wanted posters. The legendary thief and killer who's quick as a leopard and twice as deadly. Anywho, enough babbling, I must be going."

I just noticed she had a small, black, leather item in her hand. Wait a minute, that's my wallet! The whole time she was talking she was...GGGRRRHHH!

"Sayounara.", she said as she ran off with all my money

"Wait! You little twerp! Get back here!"

She ignored me and just kept running. God damn it! Of all the times to get robbed! She's not going to get away with this. I tore after her, sending several innocent bystanders flying, they were all screaming nasty curses at me but I didn't care, I was not about to let a 5 foot tall freak get away with my money. I had run to the point where I was starting to pant a little. I paused for a moment to catch my breath. Mandy was standing on the roof of an tiny old, abandoned, crumbling house.

"What's the matter? Too much exercise for one day?", Mandy teased

"YOU BITCH!"

Out of pure rage I punched one of the support beams of the house she was standing on, shattering it. Then, another beam cracked and broke, and then another, and another, until the entire beat up old house collapsed, sending Mandy tumbling down with it.

"AAAAAAAHHH! Ouchkabible."

The fall kept Mandy down just enough time for me to make my move. I quickly seized her up by one ankle and violently shook her. Out of her clothes fell my wallet, along with a number of other stolen goods.

"Put me down!"

"Is that any way to talk to someone that can snap your leg off?"

"We'll see about that."

Mandy reached for her sword that was sheathed and tied around her waist. Before she could get it I grabbed both her hands with one hand, bound both her feet with my free arm and draped her over my shoulders like a shawl. She fought and struggled but it was to no avail. I was just wondering what to do with her when I saw up ahead a pond. Her eyes widened at the sight of the water as I took her off my shoulders and held her over it.

"Sumimasen! Sumimasen! Please don't kill me!"

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't drop you."

"Because I'm too young to die."

"No.", I said holding her closer to the water

"Alright! If you let me live I'll do anything you want!"

I pondered her offer for a moment. Umah said she wanders all over Nosgoth, so she must know her way around pretty well. And I was completely lost. Maybe she can come in handy.

"You know your way around the city, girl?"

"Like the back of my hand."

"Then I guess I can use you for something. Show me the way to the Smugglers Tunnel, I'll let you live if you do."

"Alright, I'll do it."

And with that, I placed her back on dry land. And then she kicked me in the shin as hard as she could.

"Ouch!"

"That's for making me fall you rat bastard!"

"I thought we had a deal!"

"I said I'd help you, I never said I'd be nice about it."

"You know, for a woman you sure do have a big set of balls."

"I hear that a lot from people. Onamae wa?"

"What?"

"What's your name?"

"My name's Kain, and you better remember it."

"My, aren't we cranky."

"Shut up."

"So, why is it that you want to find the Smugglers Tunnel anyway?"

"Because I'm working for the Cabal and I need to get to-. Wait a minute, why am I telling you this? It's none of your business."

"I heard you say you were working for the Cabal. I know about them. Crusaders trying to save the world. Not my cup of tea. I just look out for myself, and my companions. That's all I need to do in life."

"You're companions?"

"Mmm hmm, I have tons of contacts all over Nosgoth, but I really only look out for my closest companions. We're currently stationed just east of here."

"Enough chit-chat. Lets get going."

"Not a good idea. Look, the sun's about to come up. We'll have to head for the Smugglers Tunnel in the morning. And since you have nowhere to sleep, I guess you'll just have to stay with me and my friends for the day."

"What? Me, stay with you?"

"You got a better idea? It's either stay with me or sleep outside, in which case you'll probably be killed by the Sarafan in your sleep."

"Fine, but if you or your friends try anything funny you'll next be stationed at the bottom of the pond."

"Fair enough. Come on, lets get going. A weakling like you needs plenty of rest after such a hard day."

"What? Who are you calling a weakling? If I recall correctly you were begging be for mercy a few minutes ago!"

"Like you could ever kill me! I was just making you feel better."

"You little bitch!"

"Weakling!"

"Midget!"

"Baka!"

"Will you speak English!"

"Just shut up and follow me."

And, against my better judgement, I did. I followed her to wherever she was taking me. I didn't completely trust her, but she was really all I had.

**Preview of next episode:**

After spending the day with Mandy and her strange, yet amicable friends. Kain and Mandy head for the Smugglers Tunnel. Mandy really doesn't seem that strong but wait a minute! She takes down enemies like they're nothing. And that sword, it may be small but it cuts through anything! What is with that strange sword? Find out in

**Episode 3: The Senkon no Wakizashi**


	3. The Senkon no Wakizashi

**WANT MORE MANDY? VISIT THIS SITE FOR A SNEAK PEEK AT ARTWORK FROM A WORLD TURNED UPSIDE-DOWN BEFORE MY WEBSITE'S UP AND RUNNING! Go toWWWdotFANART-CENTRALdotNET/USER-JOKEunderscoreMASTERunderscoreMANDY16dotPHP.(sorry I had to write it out like that but the site wouldn't let me direct link it) ANYWHO, ENJOY, AND FEEL FREE TO COMMENT! **

**Episode 3: The Senkon no Wakizashi**

**-Kain-**

After a about a half hour of traveling, we had arrived to where Mandy was stationed. It was an old abandoned warehouse. It seemed desolate on the outside, but when Mandy opened the door I could see that the entire inside of it was lit up and there were five people inside. When the people inside turned and saw us, there eyes widened and they all dropped what they were doing.

"Mandy-chan!", they all yelled in unison as they all came running to greet her, completely ignoring me.

They all were ecstatic to see her, giving her hugs and pats on the back.

"What have you brought back for us Mandy?", asked a tall and rather muscular woman

"Well, umm. I haven't exactly brought blood or money, but I did bring that guy.", Mandy said, pointing to me.

"And what use could we have for that guy?", asked a short but solid brown haired man with slight annoyance in his voice.

"He'll be staying with us for the day. Tomorrow, I have to take him to the Smugglers Tunnel, and he'll be paying us handsomely for everything."

"What! I never said-"

"Shutup!"

My sentence was cut short when Mandy gave me a light kick in the shin.

"Introduce us to him Mandy! Introduce us to him!", said the muscular woman, so excited she looked ready to jump up and down.

"Alright, everyone this is Kain-san. Kain, this is Maniwa."

Maniwa was a short but solid man, he stood just over five feet tall and had short, thick brown hair that hung slightly over his blue eyes. Now that I look at him, he resembles Mandy in a way. He was studying me closely, and I could tell he wasn't sure if he could trust me. He wasn't welcoming me, and yet he wasn't pushing me away.

"This is Kamome."

Kamome was a very tall and muscular woman, she stood over six feet tall, almost matching my own height. She had green eyes and curly blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. I could tell she was very friendly and she seemed very excited to see a new face around. Her intimidating height and build belied her gentle, energetic and almost child like demeanor.

"This is Sakura."

Sakura was a thin woman of average height. She had chin length brown hair and brown eyes. I could tell she was the shy quiet type by the way she kept glancing at the floor.

"This is Ayumi."

Ayumi was a colored woman with brown eyes and shoulder length purple hair which she wore in braids. She was a little under six feet tall and was giving me a friendly soft eyed smile. She seemed sweet, amicable, and self-confident.

"And this is Fuyubachi."

Fuyubachi stood about six feet tall and had an average build. He had black hair which he kept tied back in a ponytail and had brown eyes and wore glasses. He seemed like the smart bookworm type and I could tell he was curious about me. It was when he turned slightly that I realized the left sleeve of his jacket was empty. I was curious to how that happened.

"Alright Kain, you can sleep in the guest room. It's down that hall, second room to the right.", Mandy said, pointing down the hall.

"Gotcha."

All of Mandy's friends were watching me like a hawk with curiosity burning in their eyes as I walked down the hall. I finally reached the guest room, which was nothing but a lamp on a small night table and a musty old couch. It wasn't nearly as luxurious as the stuff I was normally used to, but I suppose this was the best I could expect for a while. I was just beginning to drift off to sleep when I heard voices outside my door. I recognized them to be Mandy and Maniwa's.

"Sister! How could you be so stupid! Inviting a strange man to stay with us and not even giving us a whisper about it first! For all you know he could be working for the Sarafan!"

So they are related.

"Calm down, believe me, he's way too stupid to be working for the Sarafan. He doesn't even know his way around the city."

What! I would've been fine even if you hadn't shown up! Having someone guide me around just saves time, that's all.

"He was completely helpless. He was traveling alone, he had no weapons, and he was completely lost. If I hadn't found him he would've been dead before nightfall."

Hmm, maybe she actually cares about me a little.

"Besides, if I don't help him how else am I going to scam him into giving me all his money?"

Maybe not.

"Alright, but I better see that money by tomorrow night."

"Ok, ok."

After their conversation was over they both walked down the hall to their rooms. Then I finally fell asleep.

**-Mandy-**

After a good night's sleep I stirred myself awake. Let's see, what time is it? I looked to the clock. Eight o' clock already! We'd better get going. I walked to the guest room where Kain was still fast asleep.

"Get up, Kain!", I told him while kicking him.

"Alright, alright, just stop kicking me."

Kain quickly rose out of bed, ready to go. I lead him down the hall, back to the living room where Ayumi was standing in her cooking apron.

"Wait. Before you go I've made you both some breakfast.", Ayumi said, with a cheery smile on her face.

There were two cups of fresh blood on the table. Ayumi always made meals for everyone.

"Arigatou, Ayumi."

"Yeah, thanks."

We both sat down to drink at opposite sides of the table.

"Mmm, this is great! I've never tasted anything like it before, where did you get it?", asked Kain, who was actually smiling for once

"Oh I just got it from an average human. All I did was add a little sake to it.", answered Ayumi

"Yup, Ayumi always adds sake to every meal."

"Sake?"

"What? You've never had sake before?", I asked in pure shock

Damn, this guy needs to get out more.

"Had it? I've never even heard of it."

"It's a delicious rice wine. Drink up then. No man, living or dead, should go without the taste of fresh sake on their lips."

Words to live by. When we were both finished drinking we got up to leave.

"Goodbye, Ayumi. And thanks again for the blood."

"No problem. Have a safe trip."

And so we went on our way.

"So where exactly is the Smugglers Tunnel?"

"It's hidden in a cavern underground. You would have never found it on your own."

"Underground? If it's underground then how does anyone get to it at all?"

"The church. There's a secret passageway in the church that'll take us underground."

"A church? Kind of satirical, for a church to be territory to thieves."

"_That_ church? That church is no holy place. Don't you remember the big scandal where that church was really a place used to summon demons?"

"You mean that's the Avernus cathedral?"

"Avernus? They tore that city down two hundred years ago! Where have you been?"

"Well forgive me if I'm not up to date on the latest events! I've been in a coma for the past two hundred years!"

Wow, I guess that explains a lot.

"A coma? For two hundred years? How the hell did you manage that?'

"I used to command an army of vampires. When the Sarafan Lord took power we began losing battles and my men were dropping like flies. In the last battle I fought we were greatly outnumbered and my army was crushed. I decided to pick a fight with the Sarafan Lord myself and I wound up getting hurled off the tallest cliff in Nosgoth."

"Wow, that sucks."

"That sucks? I get thrown off a cliff, go into a coma for two hundred years, wake up in this crazy world and all you have to say to me is that sucks?"

"Here's a tissue, for your issue.", I said while handing him a tissue.

"Never mind.", Kain sighed

"Vampires! This is Ivan calling for backup! We have two vampires on church street near the food stand!", shouted a young Sarafan guard into his megaphone

"Shit, we've been spotted!", Kain cursed

"Don't worry, the guards around here couldn't fight their way out of a damn bowl of jello."

Within seconds three guards came running down the street flailing their swords around like retards.

"Dirty bloodsucking fiend! I'll hack you from crotch to gizzard!"

"Ok, you do that."

Before he could even get a hit on me I unsheathed my sword with incredible speed, cutting his head clean off. The two other guards then charged for me from both sides and I just simple jumped high out of the way, came back down with my sword pointing down, stabbed one guy through the head and then before the other guy could run I threw my legs forward and twisted his head around with my feet, snapping his neck before I even landed. When all was said and done I licked the tasty blood off my sword before I sheathed it, then I turned to Kain, who was staring at me wide eyed and open mouthed.

"What?"

"What do you mean 'what?' Did you see what you just did?"

"Yeah I saw what I just did, I was the one doing it wasn't I?"

"That was amazing, where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Eh, you know. You live, you learn."

"And what about that sword? It cut through their armor like it was paper?"

"This sword is my most trusted companion. This is the Senkon no Wakizashi!"

"Could you say that again?"

"The Senkon no Wakizashi. Sword of a thousand souls."

"Sword of a thousand souls? Where would it get a name like that?"

"The legend states that the sword is inhibited by the souls of a thousand warriors who died in battle a long, long, time ago. Their souls protect whomever wields it, if they like you that is."

"And how did you acquire such a powerful weapon?"

"I bought it at a thrift store for five bucks."

"What? That legend can't be true! That's just some story they made up to get you to buy it, which you foolishly believed."

"Oh, then how do you explain the swords power? I've had this sword for centuries and the blade hasn't dulled at all! How do you explain that one?"

"Well, um, oh forget it!"

We walked in silence for a few minutes until we finally reached the church.

"Here we are."

I lead him into the church. Despite no one ever cleaning it, it was kinda pretty with its white marble walls and stained glass windows.

"So where's the passage underground?"

"Right here."

I pushed the altar aside, revealing a dark foul smelling staircase leading downward.

"What's that awful smell!", Kain said, while holding his nose

"Oh yeah, did I mention that this is also where the thieves dispose of corpses?"

"No."

"Well now you know."

I lead Kain down the staircase and through the small, dark tunnel where there were many decaying corpses. After a few unpleasant minutes we finally exited to the passageway that leads to the Lower City.

"Ok, now you just cross that bridge, head through the furnace room and then you'll be in the lower city."

"Got it. So I guess this is where we go our separate ways."

"Wait a minute. Fighting with all those Sarafan guards today was a lot of fun. Maybe saving the world isn't such a bad idea. It's about time we had a vampire in charge anyway."

"What are you getting at?"

"I think I'll come with you. Besides, you're way too weak to go off on your own just yet."

"You can't just make yourself a member of the Cabal!"

"Why not? Have you ever seen them fight? Believe me, they could use the help."

"I'm just fine on my own! I don't need your help!"

"You don't need my help, huh? Alright then, go on. Find your own way around Nosgoth, defeat your own enemies, since you can do everything yourself and don't need anyone's help."

"Ok then. Goodbye."

And with that Kain went off into the Smugglers Tunnel. Don't need help, my ass! He'll come crying back to me before he even reaches the lower city. I'll be waiting right here.

**-Kain-**

Finally, I'm on my own again. I've always found that help, when not needed, is really no help at all. All my life I've gone my own way, always, but this time-. No! I'm the Great Kain! Scion of balance, army general, vampire champion! I don't need anyone's help! I'm unstoppable!

"Well, well. Our lord was correct, you are alive.", said a male voice as I exited the tunnel.

Uh, oh.

"Do you remember me, Kain? The one who served you so well?"

As he stepped into the light I did recognize him. It was Faustus, one of the legionnaires from my old vampire army.

"Faustus! I don't believe this! Vampires have really turned against their own kind!"

"Our kind? To hell with our kind! In serving the Sarafan I have protection, I have power! And who better to hunt down a vampire than a more powerful vampire? History is written by the winners, Kain, that is my kind!"

"How many of us has the Sarafan killed, Faustus? How many have been brought to their deaths by you?"

"I care not for those destined to die! I don't weep for them, and I won't weep for you!"

"Look around you, Faustus, do you really think you can beat me?"

"Our lord knows of your presence! He beat you before, and he will bury you now!"

"You'll never know how it ends Faustus, because I'll bury you first of all!"

I lunged for him and grabbed him up by his collar. I gave him a few good punches in the face, but then he broke free. I had managed to give him a bloody nose. He wiped the blood from his nose, then looked at me with a grin.

"I have a surprise for you, Kain. Follow me and you shall have it!"

Faustus ran into another room. I followed him into a room with about six furnaces in it. This must be the furnace room that Mandy mentioned earlier. Ahh! My thinking was interrupted when Faustus threw a small grenade at my feet. I jumped away, just barely in time.

"Catch!" Faustus taunted as he ran around, hopping from furnace to furnace, throwing bombs at me. "Heh, heh. Enough games. It's time to finish you off!"

Faustus situated himself atop one of the furnaces, pulled something out of his pocket, closed his eyes, and threw it down. The moment it hit the ground it gave off a blinding flash of light that practically burned my eyes out.

"Shit! I can't see!"

The next thing I knew I felt something sharp and cold pressed against my throat. It was Faustus's sword.

"Wouldn't it be nice to be somewhere safe right now, Kain? You could have been, if you knew which side to be on. But I suppose your kind is more important than-"

Faustus suddenly stopped talking. His taunting words were suddenly replaced with wet choking sounds coming from his throat. What the hell? My vision slowly returned and my eyes blurred into focus. Faustus was standing there wide eyed with trails of blood flowing from his open mouth. I looked down and noticed there was a sword sticking through his chest. The sword was withdrawn and Faustus's dying body fell to the floor. I looked up and there she was.

"Hey, Kain! Just me, the person you need absolutely no help from.", Mandy said sarcastically.

"I thought I told you I didn't need your help!"

"Don't need my help! And this is coming from a guy who's so damn stupid he doesn't even know to close his eyes when somebody throws a flash grenade!"

"So that's what that was. Anyway, I suppose you do have a point. Maybe this time two heads really are better than one. Alright, you can come with me, but just until I get my strength back, you hear!"

"Got it!"

"Very well then, lets get going."

We both exited the tunnel and entered the lower city. I was dying to meet the rest of the Cabal, and quite frankly, I was curious to see their reaction when they see the legendary thief and killer, public enemy number one merrily strolling by my side.

**Preview of next episode:**

Kain and Mandy have finally made it to the lower city, but wait a minute! Wasn't Umah supposed to meet them when they got there? Where is Umah? And that's not their only problem! A strange western-clad woman is hell bent on killing them! Will they even make it to sanctuary alive, let alone find Umah! Find out in

**Episode 4: Umah, Missing in Action!**


	4. Umah, Missing in Action!

**WANT MORE MANDY? VISIT THIS SITE FOR A SNEAK PEEK AT MY ARTWORK FROM A WORLD TURNED UPSIDE-DOWN BEFORE MY WEBSITE'S UP AND RUNNING! Go toWWWdotFANART-CENTRALdotNET/USER-JOKEunderscoreMASTERunderscoreMANDY16dotPHP.(sorry I had to write it out like that but the site wouldn't let me direct link it) ANYWHO, ENJOY, AND FEEL FREE TO COMMENT! **

**Episode 4: Umah, Missing in Action!**

**-Kain-**

Mandy and I had finally arrived at the lower city. It was great to have finally found some moderate civilization. This part of the city didn't look to busy. It consisted of some crappy shops and some small, average looking homes. It wasn't exactly Willendorf, but it was heaven compared to the first two places.

"Great, we've finally made it, now all we have to do is wait for Umah."

"Who's that? Your girlfriend?", Mandy teased.

"She's not my girlfriend! And for your information she's the one who'll be leading us to sanctuary."

"Well where is she?"

"She's supposed to meet us here."

"Well I don't see her."

"Relax she'll be here."

Why wouldn't she? Last time I spoke with her she said she got away from those guards. But then again-

"Why don't you try whispering her?"

"Alright."

I whispered her name several times, but there was no response. She's probably sleeping or something.

"She won't answer."

"Maybe she's dead."

"What? No way. She was just fine the last time I spoke with her."

"And when was that?"

"About two days ago."

"Two days ago! Kain, in this city all it takes is two days to get stabbed, clubbed, strangled, decapitated-"

"Alright! Enough! Do you have to be so damn negative? Now, if we can just get to sanctuary I'm sure they can help us find her."

"And how do you propose we get to sanctuary, being that Umah's the only one who knows where it is?"

"Well, how hard could it be to find? I'm sure if we look hard enough we'll find it."

"I have a better idea. We could ask someone at the Red Raven pub. Vampires of all sorts go there so we're sure to find someone that knows where it is. Come on, it's right down this street."

Mandy led me down the cobblestone street to a small bar. I looked through the window. It appeared to be a human bar, judging by everyone in the entire building was human.

"Mandy, isn't this a human bar?"

"Wrong entrance."

Mandy took me behind the bar to what looked to be the entrance to their basement. She knocked at the door and a shady looking man answered, cracking open the door just enough to stick his head out.

"What's the password?", he whispered.

"Password."

"Come in.", he said as he opened the door and invited us both inside.

"The password was password?"

"Don't ask."

I stepped inside the bar. It was dimly lit and teeming with vampires and even some vampire worshiping humans. They were all drinking and chatting amongst themselves with several skimpy clothed waitresses walking around taking orders. It was your typical sleazy bar, but at the same time it was a safe haven.

"We'll have two noggin cocktails.", said Mandy, to the bartender

"Coming right up."

"Noggin cocktails?"

Before Mandy could even answer, the bartender handed her two severed heads with straws and tiny umbrellas sticking out of them.

"Wow."

"It's a noggin cocktail, try it."

I took a sip. It was human blood with a hint of rum in it, very delicious.

"Mmm, good."

"Now let's get down to business. We got to find out how to get to the sanctuary. I'll ask around at the bar, you ask around at the tables."

And without another word Mandy started questioning people sitting at the bar. I walked over to the tables to start asking questions when I overheard a few vampires having an interesting conversation.

"She was killed yesterday. And by another vampire, too. God, it makes me sick.", Said a male vampire to his two friends sitting at the table with him.

"I'm sorry to hear about your brother's wife.", said one of his friends in a soft, sorrowful tone.

"I can't take it anymore, Durnen! Everyday more and more vampires join the Sarafan. It's sick! They don't even care that they're killing their own race!", said the man, with slight anguish in his voice.

"I know, and it gets even worse. Have you heard some of the rumors that are floating around about the Sarafan?", asked the man's other friend sitting at the table

"Rumors? What rumors?"

"I'll tell you, but promise not to tell anyone. People scare so easily nowadays and you don't want to cause a panic."

"You have our word, now tell us."

"I heard from a reliable source that the Sarafan Lord has secret mercenaries working for him."

"That's it? That's your big news? I don't see what's so terrifying about that."

"That's not all. I hear they're all cruel, sadistic brutes, bordering on insane. They're all exceptional fighters, and if they're ever sent to kill you, you better just kiss your ass goodbye cause' you don't stand a chance. And that's not even the worst of it. I hear they're lead by a vampiress a thousandfold more powerful than anyone who's ever lived. They say she's the devil incarnate, more powerful than even the Sarafan Lord himself! They also say she has the power to control the minds of vampires! She'll be the death of us all!"

The two other men at the table looked at each other, and then burst out laughing.

"Saruta, you have got to be the most gullible person I've ever met! Everyone knows that anyone who's ever studied mind control has never succeeded. Even the most renowned practitioners of it have only succeeded in manipulating lab rats. What did you say your 'reliable source' was again? The loonies on the streets?", Said Durnen, through fits of laughter.

"But it's true!"

"Honestly, Saruta, the Sarafan Lord has us all scared and things are pretty bad right now, but I assure you, no crazy devil woman with mind control powers is going to bring about the apocalypse. You can't go spreading around stories like that, people with think you've gone mad."

"Kain!"

"Ah!"

I jumped as Mandy suddenly startled me.

"I've got info! Ok, the sanctuary is in the basement of Blue Lady Curiosity shop. All we need to do is get to the outdoor mall beyond the workers' area. This is too easy! Come on, let's get going."

I followed Mandy out of the bar and back onto the streets. I reflected for a moment on what those guys back there were saying. A devil woman with mind control powers? Ridiculous. What a wack job. But, I suppose dark times like these tend to wear and tear your sanity a bit.

"What the hell!", exclaimed Mandy

Mandy was looking down at the ground. When I looked down I noticed there was a trail of blood leading up the street.

"Who do you think did this?", I asked

"I don't know, but I say we follow it."

"Alright."

We followed the trail up the street. Scattered along the trail were various discarded body parts such as arms, legs, feet, and other things. The trail led us through an alley and into a small courtyard, where we found it's source-who happened to be feeding on screaming human.

"Well, howdy! And who might y'all be?", asked a young, thin vampiress with a heavy southern accent.

She had red eyes, shoulder length brown hair in tight round curls, and was wearing a sleeveless small white button up shirt that slightly exposed her midriff with a sleeveless brown suede vest over it. She also had on high cowboy boots and a red miniskirt which appeared to have a _gun holster_ slung around it. All it took was one glance and I could already tell-_this bitch is going to cause trouble._

"You're a sloppy butcher, girl. You left a trail blood leading right to you.", I stated frankly.

"Oh, so I did. Why? You scared the Sarafan gonna come a runnin'? Well, don't you worry 'bout that. They know 'round this time's my lunch hour.", she said with an intimidating chuckle.

"Who are you?", asked Mandy, who shot her a sizing up look

"The name's Suzana. And you better damn well remember it."

"Or what?", Mandy taunted

All of a sudden Suzana broke her gaze off Mandy and started staring at me. She raised an eyebrow, then took a piece of paper out of her vest. She stared at the paper and back at me several times, then a look of realization spread across her face.

"Well I'll be a hound dog shittin' peach pits, you're Kain!"

She walked up to me and got right in my face.

"Well, Kain, it's been lovely chattin' with ya, but I'm afraid I gotta kill ya."

"First of all, the Howdy Doody getup really takes away from the whole intimidation thing, and secondly, if anyone's dying tonight it'll be you!", threatened Mandy

"Oh, we'll just see 'bout that."

"Kain! Look out!"

Before I had time to react Mandy had pushed me to the ground as I heard a loud BOOM! While Suzana was staring me down she had drawn her revolver and a bullet had missed me by about a half inch. She still had her revolver aimed at me. It was useless to try and attack her until her gun was empty, so I had no choice but to dodge. One by one, she fired the bullets from her gun, each one missing me by a hair. The final bullet would've struck me, but luckily, Mandy had parried it with her sword, causing Suzana to react with shock.

"What in sam hill! How did you– godammit, it wasn't supposed to happen this way. Her Ladyship didn't say nothin' 'bout shit like this happening.", Mumbled Suzana

Lady? Last time I checked it was the Sarafan _Lord_. Weird.

"Well, don't y'all git to comfortable now, cause' I'm gonna git you."

And with that, she ran down the street, activating a ward gate behind her to ensure we wouldn't follow.

"What the hell was with that girl, she's like no Sarafan that I've seen."

"She must be high in rank. Just from the way she acts I can tell she gets special treatment.", Mandy stated knowingly.

'_I heard the Sarafan Lord has secret mercenaries working for him.' _No, that can't be true. That guy was full of shit.

"Well, whoever she is, we'd best keep on the look out for her. Because the next time I see her, she dies. But let's focus on the present issue. How do we get past the ward gate?"

Mandy shot me a surprised look, then sighed.

"Alright, you've been in a coma for two hundred years so I'll skip the snappy insult, but getting past a ward gate is one of the simplest things known to man."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, there's a way around every ward gate ever made. There has to be, it's the only way the Sarafan can have vampire's working for them."

"I see."

"And, if I'm not mistaken, the way around this ward gate is to go through that sewer."

Mandy pointed toward a sewer, a few feet from where we were standing.

"Wait a minute! I know I'm not up-to-date on the latest technology, but I do know there's no way in hell a vampire can traverse a sewer and keep their skin!"

"As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted, there needs to be an alternate route for every path that's blocked by a ward gate so the Sarafan can keep the vampire's working for them. Therefore, there has to be a way through this sewer which would allow safe passage for a vampire."

"I guess, but you'd better be right."

And so, Mandy began prying the lid off the sewer until it came off, allowing us passage inside. What she was saying made sense, but I still had my doubts. But then again, did I really have a choice? Defeated, I climbed down the ladder leading to the sewer. When I reached the bottom, I practically expected to feel the stinging acidity of water at my feet, but to my surprise, I landed on dry ground.

"See, told you."

"Yeah, just one problem. The whole rest of the damn place is flooded.!"

"Always looking at the negative side, there's a way to get past this. All we have to do is figure out how."

Mandy looked around the room for several seconds and then spoke.

"I think I got it. Kain, pull that lever.", Mandy said, pointing to a lever on the wall.

"We don't even know what that does-"

"Just do it!"

Reluctantly, I pulled the lever, which caused all the water to drain.

"See, this is too easy."

"Just one problem, how do we get to the other side now? It's too far to jump and there's a twenty foot drop."

"Hmm, let me think."

Once again, Mandy stared about the room for a few seconds before her eyes rested on a small box by the far wall.

"I got it!"

Mandy grabbed the box and threw it down the chasm below. She then pulled the lever causing the water level to rise.

"Oh, I see! We jump from the box to the other side, perfect.

Mandy jumped from the platform, to the box, and then to the other platform without incident, as did I.

"Great, now all we have to do is climb out of here."

We walked down the dark, damp path looking for an exit when I suddenly heard behind us a familiar chuckle followed by an annoying southern accent.

"Well, howdy again to y'all. That sure was a fancy trick you pulled with that there box. To bad y'all ain't gonna be makin' it out of this sewer alive." Suzana taunted with laughter.

Before I could even say anything Suzana turned a valve of some sort, causing water to rise and fill the entire sewer system. I ran like my pants were on fire, which they would be if I slowed down at any point. The water was flowing so fast it was at the heels of my shoes no matter how fast I ran. When Mandy and I finally found a ladder, we hauled ass as fast as we could until we were on dry land again. Had we lagged for even a second, we wouldn't have made it. Both myself and Mandy were panting hard as hell when we stopped for a rest.

"What the hell is that goddamn hick's problem?", Mandy said between pants.

"I don't know, but it doesn't look like she'll be leaving us alone anytime soon."

"We'll get her next time we see her."

And with that, we continued on to find sanctuary. If the directions Mandy was given were right, we were almost there. We walked silently for several minutes before, much to my frustration, we heard that goddamn laughter again.

"For the sake of god! Will you leave us the hell alone!", Mandy snapped

But, we didn't see her, all we saw was the green glow of power running down a glyph line activating two ward gates on either side of the narrow passageway we were standing in. Then, they began to close in on us.

"Shit! What do we do!"

Mandy was already on it. She was hacking away at the glyph line with her sword until finally, it broke deactivating both ward gates.

"Idiot, can't even set a decent trap. You hear that hick! You're a goddamn moron! I swear, nothing pisses me off more that stupid people.", Mandy vented.

"We'd better keep moving, we're almost there."

"Right."

And so, once again, we continues walking towards sanctuary. The Blue Lady curiosity shop was almost in our vision when Mandy suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"What is it?"

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Listen."

I listened, trying to hear what Mandy was talking about. When I listened closely enough, I could hear faint voices. It almost sounded like they were whispering Kain, Kain, Kain over and over again.

"What is that?"

"I don't know, but I think it's coming from those boxes."

"How could it be coming from boxes?"

"I don't know, let's check it out."

I walked over to the supposedly "talking" boxes. The whispers grew louder and clearer as I stepped closer and I could definitely recognize my name among them.

"What the hell?"

I leaned over the boxes and-

"AAHHHH!"

Something was burning my eyes. Water-it was the familiar acidic touch of water. I couldn't see, but I could hear what was going on.

"What the hell is your problem! We're doing important work and we sure as hell don't have time to be taking crap from goddamn hillbillies!"Mandy shouted

"I'll git you later.", I heard the familiar voice of Suzana say

"Get back here! I'm not finished with you! Don't you even touch that ward gate switch-damn."

"What just happened."

"Suzana sprayed water in your eyes and tried to stab you."

"That's good to know.", I said with sarcasm

"Come on, let's meet this leader guy you were talking about."

And without another word we both walked up to the Blue Lady Curiosity shop and stepped inside. It was pretty rundown but that didn't matter. It was a place where we could be safe, and that's good enough for me. With great anticipation I walked down the staircase leading to the basement. I brushed myself off, fixed my tie a bit, walked into the light and then oh my god-

"Vorador! You're the leader of the Cabal!"

"Who were you expecting? Dick Clark?", Responded Vorador.

"Who but the father of vampires himself would lead the resistance?"

"I don't need your crap Kain! I'm your ally only by necessity! However, you're welcome to stay here at sanctuary."

Just then Mandy walked down and stepped into the light, and all eyes were on her. Everyone in the room gasped in shock, and I could make out various whispers. Mandy just stood there for a few seconds before finally speaking.

"Yeah, it's me."

"You're Mandy!", cried Vorador in shock

"Yeah, and you must be the jolly green giant."

"You do know, that the Sarafan security is so tight all due to your antics."

"Whoopdy friggin doo! Not my fault your resistance sucks!"

"You little-"

"Vorador! Mandy! This can wait until later. Right now I need to know something, where is Umah?"

"Umah? I thought she was with you."

**Preview of Next Epsisode**

Umah's been kidnapped and it's up to Kain and Mandy to rescue her! It's not going to be easy, especially when one of Kain's ex-soldiers is determined to kill Kain and Mandy both! But wait a minute! Why does he want Mandy dead? Find out in...

**Episode 5: Mind Games**


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